Process and apparatus for applying ink to the printing plates of high speed copper printing machines



Jan. 29, 1935. F. VON HEINRICH 1,989,121

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING INK TO THE PRINTING PLATES OF HIGH SPEED COPPER PRINTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 10, 1955 Inventor:

Patented Jan. 29, 1935 4 UNITED STATES PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING INK TO THE PRINTING PLATES OF HIGH SPEED COPPER PRINTING MACHINES Friedrich von Heinrich, Budapest, Hungary, as-

signor of one-half to National Bank of Hungary, Budapest, Hungary, a corporation of Hungary Application February 10, 1933, Serial No. 656,097 In Germany February 25, 1932 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for applying ink to the printing plates of high speed copper printing machines.

It is well known that in colouring devices for 5 high speed copper printing machines'the ink is spread on the printing plates evenly, that is to say so that the thickness of the layer of ink is uniform. After the ink has been spread on the plates said plates come under the wiping device 'which, with its wiping material, wipes. the surplus ink from the plates. This operation begins at the front edge of the plate which is moving forward and ends at the rear edge. It is often found .that the wiping material becomes less efficient as the operation progresses because, owing to partial saturation, the wiping material can absorb less ink, so that an undesirable surplusof ink is left on the plate which causes imperfect printing and also the loss of a considerable quantity of expensive ink.

The object of the present invention is to counteract in mechanical wiping arrangement the in creasing saturation of the wiping material with ink during its movement from the front edge to.

the rear edge of the plate, and to ensure greater economy in the consumption of ink.

According to the present invention, these undesirable features are eliminated by moving the J inking rollers not at regular, even speed but rotate them at variable speeds in such a manner that, at

diminishing speed the inking roller is coated with a gradually decreasing'layer of ink and therefore clearly understood reference will now be made to i spreads the ink on the plate in a layer which gradually decreases from the front to the rear edge thereof. plate roller in front of the inking roller, the rotation speed of the inking rolle'r increases until the initial speed for the next plate is attained .In this waythe printing plates are coated on the path between the inking device and the wiping device with a layer of ink which gradually and evenly decreases in thickness from the front to the rear. The ratio of this decrease is adjusted to the saturation ratio of the wiping material by regulating the drive of the inking device, whereby the printing plates are wiped to perfectly even thickness and at the same time a considerable saving During the further movement of the ing wheel, and decreases or increases the angular. speed of the driven wheelwhile it is being carried along. Without reversing this rotating movement, finally these two movements would partly neutralize each other, whereas the reversingadds these two movements together. A swinging movement is imparted to the planet wheels by an eccentric or the like and a lever, the swinging movement being around the axis of the drive. The angular speed of the swinging movement,. and consequently the uneven degreeofthickness of the layer of ink, can be adjusted by changing the point of connection between the push rod of the eccentric and the aforementioned level. The spreading of ink can be adjusted insuch a way that, its thickness at the'rear edge of the plate,

is for example, 10-30% less than at the'front edge, If the swinging movement is eliminated, the ink is spread on the plate in a layer of perfectly even thickness. In order to avoid overlapping of ink during the passage of the roller and the conse-' quent interruption of working, the inking device.

must'be so designed that all the rollers which are the same diameter.

plate passes by, and the path over which the ink travels from the moment it leaves the inking device until it comes in contact with theplate, must be equal to the circumference of the roller or to a multiple of this circumference.

In order that the invention may be the more the accompanying drawing which illustrates, by the way of example, two specific constructions of the: apparatus according to the present invention..

Fig. 1 shows the inking device with the drive seen in the directionof the axes of the rollers. r

Fig. 2 shows one construction of the drive in an axial section.

Fig. 3 is a side view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 5, of a further construction, and

Fig. 5 is a side view of Fig. 4 with the oscillator removed.

In this drawing the intermediate roller 1 (Fig. 1) receives its uneven rotating movement from the drivingshaft 14 (Fig. 2) over a planetary gear, the planet wheels of which are kept in constant'oscillating movement around the axis of the driving shaft and therefore also around the axis of the shaft 18 (Fig. 2) which is driven coaxially with it, by the eccentric 11 (Fig. 1) acting upon the roller 12, the push rod 10, the pivot pin used in connection with the inking device are of Furthermore, these rollers. must execute one rotation while the printing 9 and the lever 7. The intermediate roller 1 transmits its movement to the take-up roller 2 which is supplied with ink from the ink container 3, and to the spreading roller 4 which spreads the ink on tothe plate 5 rotating in the opposite direction. The uneven rotating movement of the roller 4results in the ink being spread on' the plate 5 unevenly, and, according to the present invention, in a layer 6 which gradually decreases in thickness in an opposite direction to the rotation of the plate cylinder. [The ratio of this decrease in thickness can be adjusted by moving the pin 9 in the slot 8.

In the construction shown in Fig. 2 a' toothed wheel 15 is mounted on the driving shaft 14 and meshes with the gears 16 which can oscillate as planet wheels around the gear 15, deriving their oscillating movement from'the eccentric 11 operating on the roller 12, the push rod and the lever 7. The point of connection of this. oscillate ing movement (pin 9) can be adjusted on the lever '7 in the slot 8 either closer to or further from the oscillating axis. The two planet wheels 16 are in mesh with the interior teeth of a gear wheel 17 which is keyed on to the driven shaft 18 (Fig. 2).

In the construction shown in Fig. 4 a wheel is mounted on the driving shaft 14. In the casing13, there are two pairs of planet wheels 16a, 16b, and 16c, 16d, which are so arranged that the casing 13 allows these planet wheels to oscillate around the axes of the shafts 14 and 18. The .pair of planet wheels 16a, 1617 (Fig. 5) are connected with the wheel 15. The latter meshes with 16a and is also geared to the wheel 160 by means of the gear 162) which is firmly connected makes one revolution while one plate passes in front of it.

The structural and functional details may be altered within the scope of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof. v

Thus, for example, the above described effect can also. be obtained by means of other known gear combinations. .The reversing of the direction of rotation may be changed in the gear itself by other intercalated gears back to the original direction of the driving shaft. In place of spur gears, bevelled gears may be used; the invention may. also be used for iris colour machines which work with one spreading roller, one collecting roller and several inking rollers with the respective ink troughs.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in whatmanner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is;--

1. The herein described method of preparing a printing plate which comprises running an inkand means for actuating the inking rollers at varying speeds gradually to decrease the thickness of the ink layer being applied.

3.; A. printing machine comprising a printing plate, inking rollers for applying ink to the plate, means.:for actuating the inking rollers at varying speeds, and means associated with the first mentioned means to control the operation thereof.

4. A printing machine as claimed in claim 2, in which the printing plate moves with respect to said rollers, the direction of movement of the rollers being opposite to that of the plate.

5. A printing machine as claimed in claim 2, in which said rollers are of a size suflicient to perform a single rotation during contact with said plate.

6. A printing machine, as claimed in claim 2, in which said inking rollers are of the same circumference.

7. A printing machine comprising a printing plate, spreading roller, rotary means forrotating said spreading roller and further means for moving said first mentioned rotary means alternatingly in' and against the direction of the rotary movement thereof to accelerate and retard rotation of the spreading roller respectively,

8. A printing machine, comprising a printing plate; a geared inking roller, a shaft" supported driving gear, additional gears driven by said driving gear and en aging with said geared roller to rotate same, a support for said additional gears, a cam-driven rod connected to said support to move the same with respect to said drivins ee r- 9. A p n n machine, as claimed in. laim. 8. i hi h said suppor is provided with a slot in which said rod is. adjustable.

.10.. The herein described method of inking and wiping a printing plate, which consists in apply. ing ink to the plate in a gradually decreasing layer and thereafter wiping the surplus ink from the plate in the direction of the decrease of the layer.

FRIEDRICH voN; HEINRICH. 

